SAP is reaching out to channel partners to help accelerate deployments of Internet of Things (IoT) applications that typically require organizations to master multiple classes of technologies to successfully implement.
A total of 18 strategic channel partners are now part of a global SAP network committed to selling and implementing various IoT applications that SAP has packaged together under the auspices of a SAP Leonardo initiative. That initiative creates a proof-of-concept for an IoT project more rapidly by combining SAP software and services in more turnkey engagement lasting ten days or less for a fixed price.
Channel partners now participating in the SAP Leonardo program include Accenture, Bristlecone, Capgemini, CSTI Corp., Deloitte Consulting, Exed Consulting, Fujitsu, GoSCM, HCL Technologies, IntechPro, Intrigo Systems, KPIT Technologies, Movilitas, Process Technologies, Rocket Consulting Ltd., Tech Mahindra, Vesta Partners and Westernacher Consulting.
At present, there are ten SAP Leonardo IoT accelerators, including packages for the SAP Predictive Maintenance and Service solution, SAP Asset Intelligence Network, SAP Connected Goods software, SAP Vehicle Insights application, SAP Global Track and Trace solution, and SAP Leonardo IoT Foundation and SAP Edge Services.
Selling IoT solution requires a different sales motion than most channel partners have developed to sell solutions in the enterprise, says Hans Thalbauer, says senior vice president of digital supply chain and IOT for SAP. In addition to implementing the technology itself, solution providers often typically need to work closely with the customer to prove the business case. The SAP Accelerator program is designed to provide partners with a proven set of reusable solutions that not only can be quickly implemented but also have a proven return on investment (ROI), says Thalbauer.
“We refer to it as the Leonardo sales motion,” says Thalbauer.
Thalbauer says SAP now wants to share that sales expertise with channel partners as part of a larger effort to build an IoT ecosystem.
There’s no doubt IoT solutions represent a potential trillion-dollar opportunity for the channel. The challenge is that IoT applications are among the most difficult to build and maintain at scale. The degree to which any channel partner might be able to succeed building these classes of applications may very well come down to how simple it is to stand on the shoulders of giants that have already acquired all the necessary expertise.
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